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Sun, 02 Aug 2015 20:30:25 +0000en-UShourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=4.2.3Make Your Day Awesome by Listening to a Parrot Sing ‘Everything is Awesome’http://nerdist.com/make-your-day-awesome-by-listening-to-a-parrot-sing-everything-is-awesome/
http://nerdist.com/make-your-day-awesome-by-listening-to-a-parrot-sing-everything-is-awesome/#commentsWed, 29 Jul 2015 19:30:10 +0000http://nerdist.com/?p=283979Princess Yellow Feather doesn’t have a record deal, she’s a yellow-naped Amazon parrot. But she does have an incredible ability to mimic human song. Like in the video above, where she sings “Everything is Awesome” from The LEGO Movie, ensuring that at least the next 14 seconds of your day will be awesome as well.

Yellow-naped Amazon parrots are popular in the pet trade, which likely has something to do with their impressive ability to mimic human speech and song. Like their incredibly intelligent and equally vocal relatives the African grey parrots (seen here singing SpongeBob because why not), the Amazon parrots are deft social learners, able to mimic human speech simply by listening to their environment like they would from other birds.

There are limitations to bird “speech,” of course, as birds lack both vocal cords and lips, but some avian dinosaurs like the common parakeet have been known to amass massive vocabularies nonetheless. A blue parakeet named Puck was heard chirping 1,728 different words and phrases, for example—which the 1995 Guinness Book Of World Records duly noted.

Mimicking human speech is probably the feat that gets the most attention, but the undisputed master of sound mimicry in birds may in fact be the lyre bird. Learning from its encounters with photographers and loggers, below you can hear it sounding like everything from a camera shutter to a chainsaw:

]]>http://nerdist.com/make-your-day-awesome-by-listening-to-a-parrot-sing-everything-is-awesome/feed/0LEGO DIMENSIONS Builds a Brighter Future for the Toys-To-Life Genrehttp://nerdist.com/lego-dimensions-builds-a-brighter-future-for-the-toys-to-life-genre/
http://nerdist.com/lego-dimensions-builds-a-brighter-future-for-the-toys-to-life-genre/#commentsMon, 22 Jun 2015 15:30:26 +0000http://nerdist.com/?p=268618It was only two months ago that Warner Bros. and TT Games took to the web to announce their toys-to-life title LEGO Dimensions. One of the coolest features of the game that sets it apart from the likes of Skylanders, Amiibo, and Disney Infinity competitor is that you’ll not only be able to collect sweet LEGO sets that will be utilized in real life, but will also be able to build the set, take apart vehicles, build, and rebuild them up to three times. You’ll also be constantly moving your selected characters and vehicles around the gamepad to help solve puzzles, spawn vehicles, and quickly move from place to place. Since it’s probably a lot to wrap your head around, I’m here to clarify what I discovered when I got my hands on the title during E3 last week.

Just as in the new trailer they released, one of the places I played around in was Aperture Laboratories from the Portal series. Upon arrival, Batman, Wildstyle, and Gandalf question GLaDOS (Genetic Lifeform and Disk Operating System) about the cake that’s supposedly there. Though we all know the cake is a lie, she tells them they’ll be able to get their hands on some if they pass a couple of tests.

No, you won’t be given a portal gun to help you get through the levels. Unfortunately that is reserved for Chell, whom you can only score via buying the Portal Level pack. Instead, you’ll be utilizing several modes including: shift, chroma, scale, elemental, and locate, to get from point A to point B. While those are introduced in the video at the top of the page, figuring out how to use them is a different story.

For example, Shift, which allows a selected player to come tumbling out of one of the three colored portals, was relatively simple once I got the hang of it. There was a blocked-off area in the level which could only be reached via the chroma method. All I had to do to get this to work was select chroma and move one of the characters to the corresponding color lit up on the toy pad. Choosing which character goes through which portal is important however, especially when you consider the fact that they react differently with their environment. For instance, one of the closed-off areas had a companion cube, which can only be moved with Gandalf’s telekinetic power. To move on in the level, I had to place him in the correct area on the toy pad and wait for him to come out the other side before manipulating the companion cube to place it on one of Aperture Labs’ big red buttons.

I also tried out Locate, which when activated helped my character follow cues from the toy pad itself to find things. When going in the right direction, the toy pad will light up green, whereas on the flip side, going the wrong way will produce a red light. If you’ve ever played “Hot and Cold” with a sibling or a friend when you were younger, you’ll know what I mean. It was simple enough to use, and pretty cool to see the toy pad integrated into almost every bit of the game

There is also chroma which allows you to solve puzzles by moving a character to the colored pad and then moving their real life mini-figure to the corresponding color on the toy pad. There will be a model displayed in the area that you’ll need to match this up to. It took some time to get used to, but once I did, everything started to click.

Last but not least is Scale. Activating this mode allowed the character I was using (Batman) to either shrink to enter a tiny tunnel, or grow in size to reach new areas or switches that were previously unreachable. As you can see in the image above, Gandalf is normal size whereas Batman is small enough to enter tight spaces and Wildstyle is tall enough to to travel somewhere new.

As of right now, Skylanders, Disney Infinity, and amiibo are all considered “toys-to-life” franchises but are severely lacking in the “toy” functionality department. Sure, the figures are cool, but once you’ve turned off the console, you are more than likely to put them back on the shelf or away in a drawer somewhere until you want them to appear in your game again. Even when you do end up using them, it never really goes as far as connecting them to your console when you want to use them, or switching them out for another character when you want to try something new. More often then not, the figures end up sitting on a shelf for decoration, or in the case of amiibo, sold to the highest bidder because there just aren’t enough to go around.

That’s what makes LEGO Dimensions so great. Let’s face it: everybody loves LEGO, whether it’s the look, the charm, or physically creating whatever comes to mind. The fact that you’ll be able to physically take apart and rebuild the toys you’ll be using, even after you turn off the game, is what sets this apart from the competition. This coupled with the fact that the figures are constantly moved around, swapped, and used in countless ways the majority of the time you are playing, makes this a toys-to-life title unlike any we’ve ever seen before.

It also doesn’t hurt that the list of franchises to be included in the game is about a mile long and jam-packed with titles we all know and love. We’ll be seeing content from Scooby Doo, Jurassic World, The LEGO Movie, Lord of the Rings, Doctor Who, Ninjago, Wizard of Oz, Portal, Back to the Future, Batman, The Simpsons and more. Just seeing how some of the characters from these titles interact with each other is intriguing in an of itself. If you thought previous LEGO titles were funny, prepare your belly because you’ll probably be cracking up at the dialogue the entire time.

LEGO Dimensions is set to hit PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 3, Wii U, Xbox 360 September 27, 2015. We’ve been impressed by what we’ve seen so far and can’t wait to hear more.

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What do you think of LEGO Dimensions? Does it look like something you would want to play? Let us know in the comments below.

]]>http://nerdist.com/lego-dimensions-builds-a-brighter-future-for-the-toys-to-life-genre/feed/0Nerdist Writers Panel #191: Adam Pava & Mark Millerhttp://nerdist.com/nerdist-writers-panel-191-adam-pava-mark-miller/
http://nerdist.com/nerdist-writers-panel-191-adam-pava-mark-miller/#commentsSat, 25 Apr 2015 20:00:54 +0000http://nerdist.com/?p=246727Adam Pava (The Boxtrolls; Out of Jimmy’s Head) and Mark Miller (VP of Clive Barker’s Seraphim Inc.; writer of the Hellraiser comic) talk about writing as much as possible, writing even when you’re not being paid, writing other people’s properties, and more. Plus: Adam talks in depth about the work he did on The Lego Movie for his friends Phil Lord and Chris Miller.

]]>http://nerdist.com/nerdist-writers-panel-191-adam-pava-mark-miller/feed/0Phil Lord & Chris Miller Developing THE FLASH Movie For Warner Brothershttp://nerdist.com/phil-lord-chris-miller-developing-the-flash-movie-for-warner-brothers/
http://nerdist.com/phil-lord-chris-miller-developing-the-flash-movie-for-warner-brothers/#commentsFri, 10 Apr 2015 19:30:36 +0000http://nerdist.com/?p=240881It’s been rumored for awhile now that the duo of Phil Lord and Chris Miller, best known for The LEGO Movie and 21/22 Jump Street, were going to be developing some kind of superhero property for the big screen, and now we know that it’s going to be the movie version of The Flash for Warner Brothers. Right now, the two are just developing the story, with an eye to write the screenplay and then possibly direct, but all of that is up in the air right now. Actor Ezra Miller has already been cast as The Flash for the upcoming Justice League movie, and possibly appearing as early asBatman V Superman: Dawn of Justice.

Phil Lord and Chris Miller are maybe the perfect pair to take on this project, because these two are masters at taking ideas that are terrible on paper and turning them into gold; the idea of a movie about toys that have no narrative sounded awful to everyone when it was announced, and they turned The LEGO Movie into one of the best movies of 2014. Same goes for a movie based on a teen cop TV show from the ’80s that no one really cared about that much.

So why is a Flash movie such a bad idea? Because right now there is a great Flash TV show on the air, and I don’t know what a movie starring the character can offer moviegoers that the show isn’t doing already. Unlike Smallville or Gotham, CW’s The Flash isn’t a prequel show — it’s a straight-up superhero show that touches on all parts of the DC Comics mythology.

I totally understand why Warner Brothers isn’t using the Grant Gustin version of the Flash for the DC Cinematic Universe; as cool as it would be to see him up there with Henry Cavill, Ben Affleck and Gal Gadot, it would be really tough to explain why his buddies in the League never show up on his own show or ever help him out of a jam. Plus it limits the producers of the show into what storylines they can plan for the characters, as he has to revert to “status quo” every time a movie rolls around. But I’m still baffled by what a Flash movie can give audiences they’re not already getting for free. But if anyone can make it work, my money’s on Lord and Miller.

]]>http://nerdist.com/phil-lord-chris-miller-developing-the-flash-movie-for-warner-brothers/feed/0Oh My Glob! ADVENTURE TIME Movie Being Developed by Warner Bros.http://nerdist.com/oh-my-glob-adventure-time-movie-being-developed-by-warner-bros/
http://nerdist.com/oh-my-glob-adventure-time-movie-being-developed-by-warner-bros/#commentsSat, 28 Feb 2015 01:30:16 +0000http://www.nerdist.com/?p=228879What started as an animated internet short by creator Pendleton Ward, Adventure Time has become the most popular, and one of the most successful, animated shows on Cartoon Network. Now it’s getting a movie.

The show, as if anyone on this site doesn’t know, follows the adventures of 12-year-old Finn, the last human, and his friend Jake, a magical dog. The two bros use both brains and brawn as they protect the Land of Ooo from the likes of The Ice King, on his constant search for a princess to marry, and deal with the trials and tribulations of an everyday life. The show quickly became a phenomenon that knew no age limit and has attracted guest spots from such talents as Mark Hamill, Neil Patrick Harris, George Takei, and Andy Samberg.

Warner Bros. has announced that they have reached a deal with Cartoon Network Studios to bring Finn, Jake, Bubblegum Princess, and the rest of the gang to the big screen. The film will be produced by Chris McKay and Roy Lee. McKay was one of the producers of last year’s Box Office giant, The LEGO Movie, and will also be directing The LEGO Batman Movie that is currently in production. Lee is also currently one of the producers on The LEGO Batman Movie.

Cartoon Network Studios and Pendleton Ward will be involved in the production, with Ward involved in both producing and writing the film. It is not yet confirmed if Ward will be the sole writer or if he will just be part of the writing process.

With the LEGO guys joining forces with the Adventure Time team, we can only expect a movie to end all movies forever as we know it…or at least one that the internet will lose its collective mind over.

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So, are you losing your mind? Let us know in the comments below, or fangirl with me on Twitter, @MattDelhauer.

]]>http://nerdist.com/oh-my-glob-adventure-time-movie-being-developed-by-warner-bros/feed/22COMMUNITY’s Rob Schrab to Direct THE LEGO MOVIE 2http://nerdist.com/communitys-rob-schrab-to-direct-the-lego-movie-2/
http://nerdist.com/communitys-rob-schrab-to-direct-the-lego-movie-2/#commentsWed, 25 Feb 2015 00:30:21 +0000http://www.nerdist.com/?p=228079All Oscar snubs aside, everything is shaping up to be pretty awesome for The LEGO Movie 2. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Community writer-director Rob Schrab has been tapped to direct the follow-up to one of our favorite films of 2014.

Warner Bros. had initially tapped Chris McKay to direct The LEGO Moviesequel, but after speaking with original LEGOMovie directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller, the trio decided to move forward with a LEGO Batman spinoff film first. With McKay now attached to direct LEGO Batman and Lord & Miller only committed to pen the script and produce the sequel, it left an empty chair for the planned 2018 LEGO Movie follow-up. Now, it seems that Schrab will be the next to join the seriously funny coterie of comedic talent working on the film.

Can’t wait until 2018 for more LEGO in your life? Don’t worry — the ninja-themed Ninjago is set for a September 23, 2016 release, and LEGO Batman is on track to swoop into theaters in May 2017. Or you could always, you know, buy some LEGOs and make your own movie.

What do you think of this news? Let us know in the comments below.

]]>http://nerdist.com/communitys-rob-schrab-to-direct-the-lego-movie-2/feed/6Movie Morsels: GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY 2 Story Details, DEADPOOL’s Leading Lady, and Morehttp://nerdist.com/movie-morsels-guardians-of-the-galaxy-2-story-details-deadpools-leading-lady-and-more/
http://nerdist.com/movie-morsels-guardians-of-the-galaxy-2-story-details-deadpools-leading-lady-and-more/#commentsMon, 09 Feb 2015 14:00:00 +0000http://www.nerdist.com/?p=225073Cheer up, America. Monday ain’t so bad. Not when director James Gunn offers us some info on Guardians of the Galaxy 2, and we have the names of the actresses competing to win the heart of Deadpool in his solo film debut! Plus, an update on Spectre, surprising news on who will perform The Lego Movie‘s “Everything Is Awesome” at this year’s Oscar ceremony, and a hilarious Fifty Shades of Grey spoof. All in today’s Movie Morsels!

Guardians of the Galaxy 2

While we’re looking forward to this year’s Marvel releases, Avengers: Age of Ultron and Ant-Man, we’d be lying if we said we didn’t already have one eye on Guardians of the Galaxy 2, director James Gunn’s sequel to last summer’s sci-fi smash hit. Speaking on the podcast Alison Rosen Is Your New Best Friend, Gunn dropped a few hints about his follow-up film’s story, which he claims will be a completely original tale…

“It’s not really based on anything. The story for Guardians 2 is an original story that I came up with that I started working on actually while I was shooting Guardians 1, and it’ll answer some of the questions that were put forth in the first movie about Peter Quill’s father and who he is and what’s going on with that. We’ll get to know some of the characters a little bit more and then we’re going to meet a couple of new characters who will be very important to Guardians movies and probably important to the Marvel Universe as a whole.”

As he’s mentioned in past interviews, Gunn again said Quill’s daddy will not the same man he is in the established Marvel Comics Universe…

“It’s different than what’s in the comic books. Peter Quill’s father is somebody different in the comics. So then when the movie came out, we got green-lit on the sequel right away. I went in and I sat down with those guys and I’m like, ‘Okay, here’s what I think the sequel should be.’ And they were like, ‘Oh, whoa. That’s risky, but okay.’ Now I’m going to turn over the story in a few short weeks and we’ll find out how well it works.”

Now that the Deadpool film is at long last moving forward, many fans may be wondering who will star as the movie’s leading lady? According to Deadline, as many as five actresses are contending for the role, with four definite names mentioned: Gotham‘s Morena Baccarin, Orange Is the New Black‘s Taylor Schilling, Teen Wolf‘s Crystal Reed, and The Red Band Society‘s Rebecca Rittenhouse. Who do you think deserves to partner with the Merc with a Mouth?

Welcome back, Mr. Bond. After suffering a knee injury last week on the Pinewood Studio set of director Sam Mendes’ Spectre, Daniel Craig is back in action as he resumes work on the next 007 film. On Saturday, an unnamed crew member reported, “Everything is fine. We have been filming today.” Spectre opens on November 6th.

Directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller may not have received an Oscar nomination for their hugely popular and wildly acclaimed The Lego Movie, but the filmmakers were recognized at this weekend’s BAFTA Awards, where their efforts won them the prize for Best Animated Film. “You are our favorite Academy by far,” said the directors upon receiving their BAFTA. “You guys win the award for best Academy. This is the end of the awards road for us, so we can say whatever we want. There’s no one left to impress.”

In other Lego Movie news, two great tastes that should taste great together — Tegan and Sara and The Lonely Island — will perform the film’s Oscar-nominated tune “Everything is Awesome” at the 87th Academy Awards ceremony on February 22nd. Yes, everything is most definitely awesome!

Despite advance word that the on-screen chemistry between lead actors Dakota Johnson and Jamie Dornan is, well, a bit on the tepid side, Fifty Shades of Grey is expected to open huge on February 13th. How huge? So much so that director Sam Taylor-Johnson, speaking at an advance screening of the film on Friday in New York, has announced that two sequels, based on the second and third books in E.L. James’ bestselling trilogy, are definitely coming. Good news for those of us who invested beaucoup bucks in BDSM gear to wear to the premiere.

BTW, if you haven’t already seen comedian Vanessa Bayer’s hilarious Audi-sponsored spoof of Fifty Shades of Grey, what in the world are you waiting for? Check it out below now.

]]>http://nerdist.com/movie-morsels-guardians-of-the-galaxy-2-story-details-deadpools-leading-lady-and-more/feed/10Tegan and Sara & The Lonely Island Will Perform ‘Everything Is Awesome’ at The Oscarshttp://nerdist.com/tegan-and-sara-and-the-lonely-island-will-perform-everything-is-awesome-at-the-oscars/
http://nerdist.com/tegan-and-sara-and-the-lonely-island-will-perform-everything-is-awesome-at-the-oscars/#commentsSat, 07 Feb 2015 00:45:25 +0000http://www.nerdist.com/?p=224853Nothing was awesome about The Lego Moviegetting snubbed by the gaggle of old white dudes that run the Oscars—even Richard Sherman (Keegan-Michael Key) was incensed about it. However, EVERYTHING is awesome about Tegan and Sara and The Lonely Island covering one of the catchiest, most uplifting songs to hit theaters last year.

The ebullient “Everything Is AWESOME!!!” and its message of unrelenting positivity (“It’s awesome to win, and it’s awesome to lose!) should remind us all that, regardless of who comes away with golden statuettes, 2014 was a very good year for moviegoers. Plus, and you can watch The Lego Movieon the internet anytime you want! That’s pretty awesome in and of itself, right?

The Oscars will take place February 22 in Los Angeles at the Dolby Theatre.

]]>http://nerdist.com/tegan-and-sara-and-the-lonely-island-will-perform-everything-is-awesome-at-the-oscars/feed/2Movie Morsels: Michael Keaton Talks SKULL ISLAND, Plus a LEGO BATMAN MOVIE Update!http://nerdist.com/movie-morsels-michael-keaton-talks-skull-island-plus-lego-batman-movie-update/
http://nerdist.com/movie-morsels-michael-keaton-talks-skull-island-plus-lego-batman-movie-update/#commentsMon, 02 Feb 2015 14:00:30 +0000http://www.nerdist.com/?p=223541Happy Super Bowl Monday, everyone! Did y’all enjoy yesterday’s new trailers for Tomorrowland, Fast & Furious 7, Seventh Son, and Jurassic World? Because we’ve got a couple more TV spots you may have missed for Pitch Perfect 2 and Kingsman: The Secret Service. Today’s Movie Morsels also features an exclusive update on Kong: Skull Island from star Michael Keaton himself! As well as the latest on The Lego Batman Movie and How to Train Your Dragon 3. So pull up a chair and fix yourself a plate of those leftover nachos and wings!

Kong: Skull Island

This weekend I had the opportunity to watch Michael Keaton accept the 30th Santa Barbara International Film Festival‘s highest honor, the Maltin Modern Master Award. Beforehand, I spoke with the star of Birdman (pictured above) on the red carpet, and asked him about Kong: Skull Island, director Jordan Vogt-Roberts King Kong spin-off for which he’s been in talks to star alongside J.K. Simmons and Tom Hiddleston. (Or, if you want to get genre about it, Batman may team up with J. Jonah Jameson and Loki!) Keaton seemed cautiously optimistic about the Universal project; but, when I asked him about his character, he told me his participation is still not a done deal: “No, we’re still talking about Skull Island. I mean, we’ll see if that happens or not, right? It’s still being written and we’re just talking about the possibility of it.” Fingers crossed the film’s final script proves strong enough to net the Oscar nominee.

The Lego Batman Movie

The Lego Movie Directors Chris Miller and Phil Lord appeared at this weekend’s Annie Awards for film and television animation, along with editor Chris McKay, who’s directing the spinoff Lego Batman Movie featuring the Will Arnett-voiced Caped Crusader. Regarding the upcoming film, McKay said, “We looked at Batmobiles this morning. We went to Warner Bros. and opened up all the Batmobiles; we took photos of the interiors and the exteriors, as well as of the costumes and artwork. It was amazing. It was the best trip.” Miller and Lord said they’ll try on the various Batsuits next, and that they want to wear the Adam West suit and “the Joel Schumacher one with the nipples.” Lord explained that he “wants the sexiest one.” The filmmakers had previously announced that Lego Batman will acknowledge every era of Batman movies.

Speaking of the Annie Awards, writer-director Dean DeBlois was also at this weekend’s ceremony, picking up the awards for Best Animated Feature and Best Director for How to Train Your Dragon 2. DeBlois said that the next installment in the franchise will be more focused on Toothless: “I’m halfway through the script. It continues to track Hiccup’s coming of age, but it’s also equally shared now that Hiccup and Toothless are chiefs of their clans. The story also follows Toothless’ storyline, and I think audiences will like that because they seem to respond well to Toothless’ antics and what seems to be going on in his head.” The filmmaker also revealed that “This is the last one that I’ll be directing. This [trilogy] tracks the completion of Hiccup’s coming of age and ends this specific story. If the How To Train Your Dragon world leads to more sequels, I think it will be in a creatively different direction. It’s a possibility but not something that I’m currently developing.”

In addition to yesterday’s TV spots for Seventh Son, Jurassic World, Tomorrowland, and Fast & Furious 7, the Super Bowl also gave us a new behind-the-scenes look at Pitch Perfect 2, illustrating what happens when the Green Bay Packers meet the Bellas. Directed by Elizabeth Banks and starring Anna Kendrick, the sequel to 2012’s Pitch Perfect opens on May 15th.

]]>http://nerdist.com/movie-morsels-michael-keaton-talks-skull-island-plus-lego-batman-movie-update/feed/0Key And Peele Think THE LEGO MOVIE Deserved An Oscar Nomination Toohttp://nerdist.com/key-and-peele-think-the-lego-movie-deserved-an-oscar-nomination-too/
http://nerdist.com/key-and-peele-think-the-lego-movie-deserved-an-oscar-nomination-too/#commentsSun, 01 Feb 2015 22:00:46 +0000http://www.nerdist.com/?p=223454Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele can not be stopped. The two comedians, and MADtv alumni, have been hitting it out of the park for four seasons now with their Comedy Central show Key & Peele. Not only has the show seen critical acclaim, a seal of approval from President Barack Obama, and even a Peabody Award for it’s third season, but their sketches have become an internet sensation as well. Don’t believe us? Check your Facebook news feed and see for yourself. What else has seen this much success in the past year? The LEGO Movie. The LEGO Movie has seen nearly unanimous praise from critics and movie goers alike and was the 4th highest grossing film of 2014. Many people, it seems Key and Peele included, felt the film’s omission from The 87th Academy Award nominations was a major over sight.

Now, Comedy Central has given Key and Peele their own Super Bowl special. With the success of their annual East/West Bowl sketches, the boys have now set their sights on the world of professional football. While the internet has already seen some of the highly anticipated sketches, like a star-studded Pro Edition of their East/West Bowl sketch, the episode held some great surprises. One of those came at the expense of the extensive press conferences of both teams playing in the big game. It seems Seattle’s Richard Sherman is just as upset about The LEGO Movie as we are.

Check out the video below as Keegan-Michael Key’s Richard Sherman explains his biggest problem, and leave your thoughts in the comment section below.

But, it seems Sherman and Jordan Peele’s Marshawn Lynch have some issues with the Academy’s decisions this year all around. Biscuits and gravy.

]]>http://nerdist.com/key-and-peele-think-the-lego-movie-deserved-an-oscar-nomination-too/feed/2IT’S ALWAYS SUNNY IN PHILADELPHIA’s Charlie Day on Green Man, Canned Wine, PACIFIC RIM 2 and THE LEGO MOVIE 2http://nerdist.com/its-always-sunny-in-philadelphias-charlie-day-on-green-man-canned-wine-pacific-rim-2-and-the-lego-movie-2/
http://nerdist.com/its-always-sunny-in-philadelphias-charlie-day-on-green-man-canned-wine-pacific-rim-2-and-the-lego-movie-2/#commentsThu, 22 Jan 2015 00:30:23 +0000http://www.nerdist.com/?p=218973Last week saw FXX’s It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia return to TV (Wednesdays at 10 PM E/P) for its milestone tenth season, helped in no small part by star Charlie Day‘s “wild card” character Charlie Kelly. But since, in recent years, Day has widened his exposure in big-budget hit films like Guillermo del Toro’s Pacific Rim and Phil Lord and Chris Miller’s The Lego Movie, we made sure to ask him about the status of their much-anticipated sequels when we caught up with him at this week’s TCA Winter Press Tour…

On reprising Benny in The Lego Movie 2…

I hope I get to, because I love doing it. But the phone has not rang yet. Those guys are busy and working, and they’re super-secretive about everything they do now. They’ve not told me yet. I hope that I get to come back.

On owning a Lego model of Benny’s spaceship…

I have a Benny, but I don’t have his spaceship. So I can keep my desire to build one alive. [Laughs.]

On Pacific Rim‘s reception and the announcement of Pacific Rim 2…

What did it make, four hundred million dollars? I was surprised that the story wasn’t that it was a giant success. It’s the first thing I’ve ever made that made close to half a billion dollars. [Laughs.] I don’t know what you have to do to be a success these days. So I was thrilled [when the sequel was announced], just to get the chance to work with Guillermo again. He’s such a special person. He created that world and those characters, and it’s great to be a part of something so original.

On why Guillermo approached him for the role…

He was a big fan of Always Sunny. He saw there was a scene where I was haunted from bashing rats, and he thought that I could be haunted from seeing kaiju. [Laughs.] He showed me drawings, he showed me sketches that he had done, and just showed me the world. It was just so exciting to be that into this man’s mind for a minute. I just loved that.

On moving from the TV comedy of Always Sunny to epic filmmaking…

You’d think it would be [different]. But at the end of the day my job is to really believe what I’m doing, between action and comedy. That didn’t change. The outfit changed, the world changed, the sets changed. [My approach didn’t change] too much. The only thing that was difficult was suddenly I realized, “I have all this scientific lingo that I truly have to sit down and memorize!” Normally I read a scene once or twice and get it, but these are words and things that I just don’t know. I had to almost learn a new language. That was a bit more challenging. But it was still the same thing, which is “Let’s come to work and make something interesting to watch.”

Both Pacific Rim and Lego are just choices of trust. Guillermo del Toro calls you up and if you’re me, you say yes. And it was the same with Lego. I knew Chris [Miller] and Phil Lord from when I worked on the Luis Guzman show and they were staff writers, and we did ten episodes. I just followed their careers. Up until that time we hadn’t worked together but we stayed in touch. I admire what they do, so really I just knew that I was in such good hands that all I had to do was come and give them what they wanted and have some fun. I did almost nothing. I worked two days. Then they go and they make a great movie.

On returning for Pacific Rim 2…

Unfortunately, it’s like Lego. They keep me in the dark. It’s a shame. I’m a decent writer. [Laughs.] But every now and then [Guillermo] will send me emails saying, “Get ready! Get ready for madness!” I’m hoping I’ll see something this year. So I don’t know. I know what you know. I’ve got to find out through the press, and occasionally Guillermo will be like, “You’re coming back.”

On whether Pacific Rim 2 and 3 could shoot back to back…

That’s an interesting idea. Yeah, that might be a good way to do it. That’s so out of my league, what to do. That’s Legendary’s ballgame, so I don’t know anything about it.

On It’s Always Sunny‘s Green Man phenomenon…

I’ve seen less Green Men, I think it’s calming down a bit. But it may still be out there. I’ll have to put the Green Man suit on again. I don’t think I’ve worn it since season 5, so maybe we’ll have to write something for season 11. [Laughs.]

On reports of airlines serving It’s Always Sunny‘s canned wine…

You know, when I was in high school, there was this kid, and he was one of the cool kids… I didn’t smoke, but he was a smoker, and I bumped into him and I noticed he was hiding a lit cigarette in his Coca-Cola can, so he could walk around the school and smoke a cigarette. And I thought, “Wow, that guy’s the coolest guy ever” — although I do not endorse smoking [laughs]. Then I thought of that for the canned wine episode. I’m surprised it’s taken off.

]]>http://nerdist.com/its-always-sunny-in-philadelphias-charlie-day-on-green-man-canned-wine-pacific-rim-2-and-the-lego-movie-2/feed/0The Best Worst of the 2015 Oscar Nominationshttp://nerdist.com/the-best-worst-of-the-2015-oscar-nominations/
http://nerdist.com/the-best-worst-of-the-2015-oscar-nominations/#commentsFri, 16 Jan 2015 16:00:00 +0000http://www.nerdist.com/?post_type=vepisode&p=218433It’s that time of year again, friends. Time to become outraged as the 94% white, 76% male membership of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences lays all of its awards nominations on a tiny pool of movies (mostly good!) that spent a massive amount of money on their Oscar campaigns!

Join Jessica Chobot on today’s Nerdist News WTFridays, as she recounts the Best Worst moments of this year’s nominations – from major snubs to pithy filmmaker responses to a mispronunciation so hilarious it pretty much stopped Twitter dead for about five full minutes. Oh, and you know we’ve got your Best Worst Comment of the Week!

Thanks for watching today’s show! Don’t miss the latest episode of Because Scienceto find out about paradox behind Star Trek’s teleporters. Then, be sure to let us know in the comments below which Oscar snub you’re most disappointed about!

]]>http://nerdist.com/the-best-worst-of-the-2015-oscar-nominations/feed/5Movie Morsels: CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR Cast Update, KONG: SKULL ISLAND’s Surprise Location, MOTLEY CRUE Biopic Confirmedhttp://nerdist.com/movie-morsels-captain-america-civil-war-cast-update-kong-skull-islands-surprise-location-motley-crue-biopic-confirmed/
http://nerdist.com/movie-morsels-captain-america-civil-war-cast-update-kong-skull-islands-surprise-location-motley-crue-biopic-confirmed/#commentsFri, 16 Jan 2015 14:00:08 +0000http://www.nerdist.com/?p=218454Believe it or not, some movie news has nothing to do with the Oscar nominations. (Well, almost nothing.) And today (after you finish placing your bets on who will take home the coveted gold statue on February 22nd), you can sip its sweet, sweet nectar — including confirmation on a favorite character’s appearance in Captain America: Civil War, some surprising info on Kong: Skull Island, and oh so much more!

Captain America: Civil War

Director Anthony Russo has confirmed, for those in doubt, that Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow will follow her appearance in Avengers: Age of Ultron by returning for Captain America: Civil War, co-helmed by Anthony and his brother Joe Russo. Johansson will join what looks like an already full roster of heroes and villains, including Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man, Anthony Mackie’s Falcon, Chadwick Boseman’s Black Panther, Sebastian Stan’s Winter Soldier, Daniel Bruhl in an as yet unidentified role, Frank Grillo’s Crossbones, and — if the rumors prove true — Jeremy Renner’s Hawkeye, and Samuel Jackson’s Nick Fury. Whew! Captain America: Civil War is waged on May 6, 2016.

Here’s are the brothers Russo talking at the press event in Beijing where this news broke…

Newly minted Oscar nominees J.K. Simmons and Michael Keaton spoke with MTV yesterday about their upcoming Kong: Skull Island, and dropped a bombshell regarding the film’s setting — in addition to taking place on the fabled titular home of The Eighth Wonder of the World, the action in director Jordan Vogt-Roberts and writer John Gatins’ Skull Island will also occur in 1971 in Detroit, Michigan. Wha?! Here are the two actors discussing the project…

Yes, we’re still in mourning that the year’s funniest animated film was snubbed when yesterday’s Oscar nominations were announced. But we’re delighted that it’s given The Lego Movie‘s co-director Phil Lord the excuse he needed to go ahead and build his own, much cooler Oscar…

Syfy and the Asylum have announced that Sharknado franchise stars Ian Ziering (pictured above in last summer’s Sharknado 2) and Tara Reid will indeed return for Sharknado 3, arriving in July on the Syfy Channel. This time around, Washington D.C. will be menaced by the twister with teeth — before it races down the eastern seaboard, presumably to decimate Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Director Anthony Ferrante and writer Thunder Levin also return.

[Syfy]

The Dirt

Metallica got their due with 2004’s Some Kind of Monster, and now another seminal Los Angeles heavy metal band is getting its story told on screen — albeit, rather than in a documentary, in biopic form. The epic tale of Motley Crue will be told in The Dirt, which has just been announced by Focus Features.

Jackass director Jeff Tremaine will helm the film, based on the autobiography The Dirt: Confessions of the World’s Most Notorious Rock Band, by band members Tommy Lee, Vince Neil, Mick Mars, and Nikki Sixx (all of whom are producers on the film), with author Neil Strauss. The casting search will begin soon.

In other Focus Features news, the company has also announced it’s moving the release date of its adaptation of Anne Rice’s bestseller Christ the Lord, from its original release date on the Wednesday before Easter to a date twelve days prior — March 11, 2016. The reason why? To avoid competing with Warners’ Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, of course, which opens on March 25, 2016, as well as Paramount’s Beverly Hills Cop. Christ the Lord will now open the same day as Universal’s Warcraft. Insert joke about Batman and Superman being bigger than Jesus here. Then cue the comic-book burnings.

Riding a wave of critical acclaim through this awards season for his much-talked about turn in Birdman (pictured above), Michael Keaton has — according to Deadline — just entered negotiations to join Universal’s 3D King Kong spin-off Kong: Skull Island. If cast, the actor will co-star with Tom Hiddleston and J.K. Simmons in director Jordan Vogt-Roberts and writers John Gatins and Max Borenstein’s tale of intrepid explorers making their way through the titular remote jungle island. The film arrives on March 10, 2017.

LEGO Movie directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller have just confirmed that while they will indeed produce and write the sequel to their CG-animated smash — as well as produce its two spinoffs, 2016’s LEGO Ninjago and 2017’s The LEGO Batman Movie — they won’t direct The LEGO Movie 2, scheduled for release on on May 25, 2018.

“I don’t think so,” Miller told Empire. “We’re writing the sequel right now and obviously producing all the other ones. There’s a challenge to make each one feel like its own thing. Part of the fun is finding people like Charlie [Bean], who’s doing the Ninjago movie, and Chris McKay who did so much on the first film. Each of them have their own distinct voices and ideas for tone. So it will each have its own personality and not just be, ‘Hey, remember that last movie? Here’s another one just like it!’ So that’s been a big challenge but so far it’s been going better than I expected.”

Miller explained that the sequel will take place four years after The LEGO Movie.

“Well I don’t want to give you spoilers but we were really interested in what happens to that boy who’s in the meta story in the first movie when he’s four years older. When he’s an adolescent how does that change his point of view? And it’s nice to have the characters start in a different place from the first movie. Emmet, for example, was in an existential crisis of having seen another dimension and was questioning the whole point of his existence.”

In addition to being one of the smartest comedies of the ’90s, Election was a breakthrough film for both its director Alexander Payne and star Reese Witherspoon (pictured above in Four Christmases). Now, the two are reuniting for Downsizing, in which Witherspoon will co-star with Matt Damon, who will join the project after finishing work on the next Bourne movie. The Fox release will be co-written by Payne and Jim Taylor, who together won the Adapted Screenplay Oscar for 2004’s Sideways. Deadline describes Downsizing as “a social satire in which a guy realizes he would have a better life if he were to shrink himself.” Like Ant-Man without the special effects!

Olivia Wilde gets down with her bad self when she plays a medical student channeling both Doctor Frankenstein and his monster in The Lazarus Effect. Co-starring Mark Duplass, Donald Glover, and Evan Peters, the film opens on February 27th. Microbudget horror mogul Jason Blum produces the Relativity release, and David Gelb directs from a screenplay by Luke Dawson and Jeremy Slater. Here’s the first official trailer for the twenty-first century’s answer to Flatliners…

]]>http://nerdist.com/movie-morsels-michael-keaton-explores-skull-island-phil-lord-and-chris-miller-talk-the-lego-movie-2/feed/1Nerdist News: The 10 Best Nerd Movies of 2014http://nerdist.com/nerdist-news-the-10-best-nerd-movies-of-2014/
http://nerdist.com/nerdist-news-the-10-best-nerd-movies-of-2014/#commentsMon, 29 Dec 2014 16:00:34 +0000http://www.nerdist.com/?post_type=vepisode&p=212887Ah, that sweet spot between Christmas and New Year’s Eve! With the looming specter of work right around the corner, many of us try to delay the inevitable by seeing as many films as humanly possible. After all, the Oscars are right around the corner, and we need to cram as much cinema into our brain as possible before the clock strikes midnight on January 1, 2015. We’ve talked about the best games of 2014, the best TV shows, and even the best moments of Nerdist period over the course of the last year, but we haven’t yet run down the best nerd movies of the year. That all changes today.

Considering the amount of terrific films that came out this year, making this list was a daunting prospect, but the cinematic scientists at Nerdist News have run the numbers and come up with our definitive list of the ten best movies for nerds of 2014. We’ll count down entires ten through six in the article below, but you’ll have to tune in to today’s Nerdist News to see Jessica Chobot run down the best of the best.

10. The Wind Rises

Hayao Miyazaki’s final directorial work for Studio Ghibli proved to be one of his most personal as we saw echoes of the acclaimed animator reverberate throughout The Wind Rises. The story of Jiro Horikosji, the idealistic, introspective aeronautic engineer who designed the Mitsubishi A6M Zero fighter, one of the most iconic and deadliest aircraft used during World War II. The film offers an elegiac portrait of a man who saw his passion provide the fuel for the grim machinery of war. Still, in spite of all the (largely off-screen) death and destruction, The Wind Rises possesses a quiet dignity, and a poetic quality that resonates with the viewer long after the credits roll.

9. Godzilla

Is there any sight more wonderful than a more than 300-foot-tall Godzilla stomping around San Francisco Bay and wreaking righteous havoc on a pair of killer kaiju? Perhaps, but director Gareth Edwards’ reinvigorated version of Toho’s King of the Monsters brought studio spectacle and monstrous menace to the big screen and crushed the competition when it comes to our undying affection. Could it have used more Heisenberg? Sure, but who couldn’t. The point is that Godzilla’s back, baby. Long live the King.

8. Jodorowsky’s Dune

While Alejandro Jodorowsky may be best known for his cult classic, acid-washed forays into spirituality and psychedelia in films like El Top and The Holy Mountain, 2014 offered us a vision of what might have been had the acclaimed Mexican director’s vision of Frank Herbet’s Dune come to pass. Frank Pavich’s documentary Jodorowsky’s Dune takes viewers behind the scenes of one of the craziest, most ambitious films that never was through candid interviews and looks at concept art for the sprawling sci-fi saga. (Exhibit A: Jodorowsky courted Salvador Dali to play the insane Emperor). If you’re a diehard Herbert-head or simply a student of sci-fi, Jodorowsky’s Dune is a deeply compelling story and well worth your time.

7. Interstellar

Of all the titles that came out in 2014, no film demanded to be seen in theaters– on film– more than Interstellar. Christopher Nolan’s latest film looks to the stars and within in the hopes of finding mankind’s salvation. While some have found the plot of Interstellar to be riddled with holes that aren’t just black and supermassive, it is anchored by charismatic, heartfelt performances and enough visual splendor to cement this as one of the year’s best. Now where’s our TARS spin-off?

6. Captain America: The Winter Soldier

It was a neck and neck race between Captain America: The Winter Soldier and X-Men: Days of Future Past for which superhero sequel reigned supreme in 2014, but the bone-crunching action, political intrigue, and game-changing events of The Winter Soldier give the good Captain the edge. Even the memes were better. Stage whispers aside, The Winter Soldier managed to deliver a rock-solid superhero story couched in the trappings of a political thriller, and set the bar for what we should expect from our popcorn-fare summer blockbuster sequels.

Be sure to check out the top five picks in today’s Nerdist News, then watch the rest of the best of 2014 in the playlist below:

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What were your favorite nerdy films of 2014? Let us know in the comments below!

]]>http://nerdist.com/nerdist-news-the-10-best-nerd-movies-of-2014/feed/9Movie Morsels: LEGO MOVIE 2 Features More Female Characters, Extended GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY Dance-Off, and FIrst Look at JURASSIC WORLD’s Dinos!http://nerdist.com/movie-morsels-lego-movie-2-features-more-female-characters-extended-guardians-of-the-galaxy-dance-off-and-first-look-at-jurassic-worlds-dinos/
http://nerdist.com/movie-morsels-lego-movie-2-features-more-female-characters-extended-guardians-of-the-galaxy-dance-off-and-first-look-at-jurassic-worlds-dinos/#commentsTue, 18 Nov 2014 14:00:24 +0000http://www.nerdist.com/?p=202185Since today marks the first day you can watch Guardians of the Galaxy in your home (via Digital HD), we’ve got a Chris Pratt Special in today’s Movie Morsels, with news on the sequel to Pratt’s first 2014 blockbuster, The Lego Movie, as well as what’s sure to be his next box-office smash — 2015’s Jurassic World. And there’s a must-see alternate version of Guardians‘ dance-off that is guaranteed to put a smile on your face. All this and some news on movies starring other people (but really, do they even matter anymore?) awaits you below!

The Lego Movie 2

If you were disheartened that this year’s blockbuster The Lego Movie featured only three female characters — Elizabeth Banks’ Wyldstyle, Allison Brie’s Unikitty, and Cobie Smulders’ Wonder Woman (which was really little more than a cameo) — you’ll be glad to hear that directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller are planning to boost the count for their 2018 sequel. “‘It’s important to us that the movie plays broadly and that we inspire young women as much as we inspire young men,’ Lord told the BBC. ‘I don’t want to give spoilers,’ Miller teased. ‘But there will be more female characters and more female stuff… There’s been a real shortage of [female protagonists] in recent years and I think that the near future will be very different.'”

With today’s release of the year’s biggest moneymaker on Digital HD/Disney Movies Anywhere (and its impending release on Blu-ray and on-demand on December 9th), enthusiasm for Guardians of the Galaxy isn’t leaving us anytime soon. And Disney just keeps feeding our fever — check out the exclusive (sorry, that means we can’t embed it here) extended version of the film’s climactic dance-off at Buzzfeed. It’s all kinds of awesome. Meanwhile, Stitch Kingdom has another exclusive (and non-embeddable) — an outtake from the film, in which John C. Reilly’s character suffers a hilarious wardrobe malfunction.

Since we’re talking Chris Pratt movies, let’s take a look at the first new dinosaur we’ve seen from next summer’s Jurassic Park sequel! “We know that Colin Trevorrow’s Jurassic World will feature a newly created dinosaur, with one report claiming that it will have red eyes and translucent skin. Now, what appear to be leaked images from upcoming LEGO sets reveal our first look at the terrifying beast.”

Vampire Diaries‘ heartthrob Paul Wesley is poised to make a big-screen splash by both starring in and producing the sci-fi action film Convergence. “Plot details are being kept under wraps, but Convergence is described as a college-age ensemble piece in the vein of Flatliners, The Matrix, and Fight Club based on real life ‘science fact.’ It follows a group of underground biotech engineers, including an MIT student wunderkind, exploring a new technology far beyond their expectations and beyond the limits of human control.”

Remember 2004’s The Machinist, the psychological thriller for which Christian Bale lost sixty-two pounds? While Brad Anderson’s last two films — Vanishing on 7th Street and The Call — may not have matched his earlier work, it looks like the director could be back in the game with Sony’s actioner Shadow Run. “The plot details are being kept under wraps, but insiders have described the film as Safe House on a plane.” Hey, as long as it’s better than Snakes of a Plane.

What do you think of today’s top stories? Let us know in the comments below.

]]>http://nerdist.com/movie-morsels-lego-movie-2-features-more-female-characters-extended-guardians-of-the-galaxy-dance-off-and-first-look-at-jurassic-worlds-dinos/feed/2Movie Morsels: ELF Spin-Off Arriving This Christmas, THE HOBBIT’s 45 Minute Final Battle, James Spader Talks AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON, and More!http://nerdist.com/movie-morsels-elf-spin-off-arriving-this-christmas-fast-furious-7s-title-announced-hobbits-final-battle-45-minutes-and-more/
http://nerdist.com/movie-morsels-elf-spin-off-arriving-this-christmas-fast-furious-7s-title-announced-hobbits-final-battle-45-minutes-and-more/#commentsMon, 27 Oct 2014 13:00:50 +0000http://www.nerdist.com/?p=195446Howdy, folks. Hope you had a relaxing weekend and that you’re tanned, rested, and ready for another work week. While this particular week ends in one of our favorite holidays, Halloween, it’s not too early to bring you news on what’s bound to be one of this Christmas’s highlights — a spin-off of the hit Will Ferrell comedy Elf! Elves, albeit of a very different kind, are also featured in the upcoming The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies; and we’ve got word of that film’s epic final battle sequence, straight from director Peter Jackson himself. Plus, in the world of non-elf related news, we’ve got the latest on the The Lego Movie 2, Fast & Furious 7, Avengers: Age of Ultron, and more!

Elf

Fans of director Jon Favreau’s hit 2003 Christmas comedy Elf that would love to see more of its cheerful universe yet fear a sequel will never do the original justice are about to get what may be the best of both of worlds — a spin-off TV special. The stop-motion animated Elf: Buddy’s Musical Christmas is on its way from Warner Bros. Animation and Screen Novelties, which produced It’s a SpongeBob Christmas! for Nickelodeon in 2012. Based on both the Will Ferrell-starring film and its Broadway adaptation Elf: The Musical, “the hour-long special will include nine songs, among them “Happy All the Time,” “A Christmas Song” and “Nobody Cares About Santa Claus.” Jim Parsons (The Big Bang Theory) voices Buddy, the lead.”

Longtime fans will recall how Favreau was inspired by classic holiday specials like Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer in creating the original Elf, even including a bit of stop-motion animation in the film as a tribute, so it should be fun to see Buddy return to his true roots. Elf: Buddy’s Musical Christmas debuts on NBC on Tuesday, December 16th (8pm ET/PT).

Plans for a sequel to this year’s smash The Lego Movie have been in motion for some time, but Warner Bros. just took the one absolutely necessary step to insure The Lego Movie 2 achieves the same critical success as its predecessor — the studio has signed the red-hot filmmaking team of Phil Lord and Chris Miller to write and produce it. Lord and Miller wrote as well as co-directed the original, and their impish humor, more than any other element, helped it win the hearts of audiences young and old.

A director has not yet been signed for the project. But, in the meantime, Chris McKay, another co-director of the original film, is directing The Lego Batman Movie, with star Will Arnett returning to voice the Caped Crusader.

After much speculation over what name the seventh Fast and Furious film will take as its title, the sequel — which suffered the tragic loss of star Paul Walker last year — has been officially announced by Universal as Furious 7. The title — as well as a new poster (featured below) with Walker and stars Vin Diesel, Jason Statham, Dwayne Johnson, Michelle Rodriguez, Jordana Brewster and Tyrese Gibson — was unveiled yesterday on the Fast & Furious Facebook page. Furious 7 arrives via Universal on April 3rd. The live Road to Furious 7: Trailer Launch Event will take place this Saturday, November 1st, at 12 PM PST on the Facebook page and on E!

Entertainment Weekly is reporting that the titular battle sequence in the third film of Peter Jackson’s Hobbit Trilogy will be a whopping forty-five minutes long, and feature as much much inter-species mayhem as fans would expect of the director’s final Middle-Earth movie. “There’s a lot of logistics that have to be thought through,” says Jackson. “We have dwarves and men and elves and orcs, all with different cultures, with different weapons, and different shields and patterns and tactics.” EW has also secured a battle plan from the Oscar-winning filmmaker, to help you follow the madness that erupts when The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies debuts on December 17th.

Paul Greengrass has proven himself to be one of the most skillful action directors of our time with films like The Bourne Supremacy and The Bourne Ultimatum. Now the filmmaker is turning his attention to a real life tale of heroism with The Tunnels, based on Greg Mitchell’s upcoming book about a group of West Germans trying to escape East Berlin in 1961 via a series of underground passageways. Greengrass is still linked to several other film projects, including the Leonardo DiCaprio-starring American Nightmare and the next Matt Damon-starring Bourne film; and so, unsurprisingly, there’s no word yet on when filming will begin on this one.

In the latest issue of Total Film, James Spader reveals a little bit more about the evolution his Avengers: Age of Ultron villain undergoes throughout the course of the sequel: “When you first meet Ultron, his physicality is very different to what he evolves to. It was in the script but we arrived at the metamorphosis of him on the set. In practice, in rehearsals… we were able to create the physicality of the character on the motion-capture stage. They would dot me up and I was wearing a helmet that had two cameras on my face, and they could live stream it to a monitor so we could try different things.”

The actor adds that he performed his scenes alongside his fellow cast members, with his voice recorded on-set for the final film: “I’d go and shoot the scene with the other actors and they’re recording all of it, including my voice. Nine times out of ten they were not using ADR (additional dialogue recording) after the fact.”

What do you think of today’s top stories? Let us know in the comments below!

]]>http://nerdist.com/movie-morsels-elf-spin-off-arriving-this-christmas-fast-furious-7s-title-announced-hobbits-final-battle-45-minutes-and-more/feed/3Movie Morsels: GAMBIT Movie Details, SUICIDE SQUAD Eyeing A-List Actors, BEN-HUR Adds Wonder Woman and the Red Viper, and Morehttp://nerdist.com/movie-morsels-gambit-movie-details-suicide-squad-eyeing-a-list-actors-ben-hur-adds-wonder-woman-and-the-red-viper-and-more/
http://nerdist.com/movie-morsels-gambit-movie-details-suicide-squad-eyeing-a-list-actors-ben-hur-adds-wonder-woman-and-the-red-viper-and-more/#commentsThu, 16 Oct 2014 13:00:54 +0000http://www.nerdist.com/?p=192196Yesterday seemed like an all-you-can-eat buffet of movie news, so today’s Movie Morsels is a veritable smorgasbord of cinematic delights. We’ve got the skinny on who might be starring in Suicide Squad, the latest on who’s joining Ben-Hur, details about the Gambit solo film and much more.

Gambit

After DC Comics dominated yesterday’s headlines and Disney made waves with a bombshell of a Captain America 3 announcement, it was about time we heard from the other tentacles of the writhing kraken that is Marvel Studios. In an interview with MTV, Channing Tatum talked about the new approach they’ll be taking with the Cajun card-flinging con man’s solo film:

“I don’t want to give too much away because we don’t know that much right now other than…we obviously know who Gambit is. We really do want to try our hardest to give something fresh. We’re obviously going to go to the saving the world superhero movies eventually, but maybe not for the first one.

“We want to introduce this character in a very different way. You know, when you try to do something different you never really know, right off the bat, what that is. We’re feeling our way, and really just kind of proving the concept of that person.”

A very different way? So just like not the way we met him in Wolverine: Origins, right? Or maybe at a high-stakes poker tournament where he accidentally imbues his hand with kinetic energy? Anyway, you can color me intrigued, Tatum. [MTV]

In case you missed it yesterday, Warner Bros. unveiled a massive production slate of DC Comics movies including Suicide Squad, Wonder Woman, Justice League, The Flash, and more. Find out what’s coming out between now and 2020. [Nerdist]

Suicide Squad

The movie was just officially announced by Warner Bros. yesterday and there is already news that they’re courting some major talent for the David Ayer-directed Suicide Squad. Among those being targeted to embrace their villainous side are Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling, Will Smith, and Tom Hardy. Which members of the Squad they’d be playing though remains a mystery, but how sweet would a movie with those four actors be? Although as much as I love Gosling, I have difficulty picturing him as a member of a superhero team. [ComingSoon]

The Lego Movie

Actually, that should read The Lego Movie(s) because Warner Bros. also announced a trilogy of LEGO-inspired films as a follow-up to this year’s best animated film. You can read all about what’s in store — LEGO Batman (!) — plus get the details on a Harry Potter spin-off trilogy right here. [Nerdist]

Steve Jobs

“Hey, you know what the world needs right now? Another Steve Jobs biopic! You know who would be great to play him? Christian Bale,” said no one ever. Yet in spite of that seemingly impossible statement, that’s exactly what’s happening. Bale recently bailed on an adaptation of The Deep Blue Goodbye and, looking for another project to fill his dance card, he is in talks to play Apple co-founder Steve Jobs in the Danny Boyle-helmed biopic written by Aaron Sorkin. Bale will be stepping into the shoes recently vacated by Leonardo DiCaprio, so it definitely seems they’re definitely casting for the “super intense A-lister who dives headlong into roles and really, really digs biopics”.

The biopic will reportedly take place over the course of three major product launches, according to ScreenCrush:

“This entire movie is going to be three scenes, and three scenes only, that all take place in real time. There’ll be no time cuts. Each of these three scenes is going to take place before a product launch…The first one being the Mac, the second one being NeXT after he left Apple and the third one being the iPod.”

As if playing Wonder Woman wasn’t enough, it looks like Gal Gadot is doubling down on playing characters of ancient origin. It’s being reported that the Israeli actress is circling the female lead in the forthcoming Timur Bekmambetov-directed remake of Ben-Hur. She would be stepping into the role of Esther, a slave who eventually falls in love with Ben-Hur (played by Jack Huston). Filling out the rest of the cast are Huston, Morgan Freeman, and Toby Kebbell, so she’d be in very esteemed company. [Latino Review]

Also boarding the project? A fine import from the faraway land of Dorne! Game of Thrones star Pedro Pascal has joined the project as Pontius Piate, who plays a significant role in this version of the film, which is closer to the 1880 Lew Wallace novel than the 1959 Charlton Heston-starring film. [Deadline]

Honestly, this film gets cooler every time I hear about it. Hopefully it can live up to the hype.

The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies

Have you had your fill of The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies posters yet? Well, too bad because you’ll be getting one for each and every member of the five armies. Warner Bros. has released three more posters and three new banners too because the only thing longer than Peter Jackson’s Hobbit films is the promotional campaign around them. [Collider]

Horrible Bosses 2

The world’s most put-upon employees are back and this time they’re bringing an ensemble poster with them! The latest poster for Horrible Bosses 2 assembles the entire gang and, as usual, no one looks as uncomfortable as Charlie Day. [Yahoo! Movies]

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What do you think of today’s top stories? Let me know in the comments below or tell me on Twitter (@osteoferocious)!

]]>http://nerdist.com/movie-morsels-gambit-movie-details-suicide-squad-eyeing-a-list-actors-ben-hur-adds-wonder-woman-and-the-red-viper-and-more/feed/0WB Goes Bonkers, Announces Trilogies for The LEGO Movies and J.K. Rowling’s FANTASTIC BEASTShttp://nerdist.com/wb-goes-bonkers-announces-trilogies-for-the-lego-movies-and-j-k-rowlings-fantastic-beasts/
http://nerdist.com/wb-goes-bonkers-announces-trilogies-for-the-lego-movies-and-j-k-rowlings-fantastic-beasts/#commentsWed, 15 Oct 2014 21:15:33 +0000http://www.nerdist.com/?p=192061Holy cats, Warner Brothers? What is going ON over there? Apparently the mega-house of producing things that we entertainment folk generally love — movies and television — have dropped the proverbial gauntlet today in the most epic shareholders meeting to end all shareholders meetings. (We imagine. We’ve never been to a shareholder’s meeting.) In addition to the veritable smorgasbord of superhero flicks they announced earlier today, the company also revealed their plans for follow-ups to the Harry Potter films AND The LEGO Movie, three times over for each, effectively scheduling themselves into the foreseeable future. Oy vey my head is spinning and spinning and spinning. Everything is awesome but accio me some ibuprofen over here, you know what I mean?

Warner Bros. explained at the meeting that it has not one, not two, but three more LEGO-branded films in the works, with plans for each of them to hit movie theaters in the next four years. In addition to investing in the LEGO brand and its massive DC slate, the studio is also plotting three films based on J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter spin-off, Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them.

The first LEGO film is slated to be Ninjago, based on the ninja-themed LEGO line. Because synergy and trends, that feature will also play into the animated Cartoon Network series of the same name. Phil Lord and Chris Miller, while not directing or writing, are on board to produce the thing.

Next up? The LEGO Batman Movie, which will see Will Arnett’s Batman head to the big screen to battle against all those OTHER portrayals of the winged knight. This one will be directed by The LEGO Movie‘s other co-director, Chris McKay, and is planned for a 2017 release. Shortly thereafter? The LEGO Movie 2, in 2018.

As for J.K. Rowling’s screenwriting debut? Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them will become its own trilogy — everything in threes now, America! — with installments slated for 2016, 2018 and 2020. David Yates, who directed, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, and both installments of the Deathly Hallows, will also tackle these films.

]]>http://nerdist.com/wb-goes-bonkers-announces-trilogies-for-the-lego-movies-and-j-k-rowlings-fantastic-beasts/feed/10Chris Pratt to Host SNL Premierehttp://nerdist.com/chris-pratt-to-host-snl-premiere/
http://nerdist.com/chris-pratt-to-host-snl-premiere/#commentsWed, 10 Sep 2014 16:29:50 +0000http://www.nerdist.com/?p=181650Ooga chaka! Ooga chaka! Star-Lord aka Chris Pratt is set to host the 40th season premiere of Saturday Night Live with Ariana Grande performing as the musical guest. The second episode will be hosted by former cast member Sarah Silverman with musical guest Maroon 5.

In addition to being a part of the NBC family for years playing Andy Dwyer on Parks and Recreation, Pratt has been everywhere this year, voicing Emmet in The LEGO Movie and, of course, leading the cast of Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy. The James Gunn directed summer blockbuster has officially become the biggest movie of the summer and Pratt isn’t showing any signs of slowing down with the final season of Parks and Recreation and Jurassic World coming up soon.

While the season premiere will be filled with newbies, the second episode will be filled with old favorites. Sarah Silverman was a cast member on SNL in the 1993-94 season and Maroon 5 will be making their fifth appearance on the show to promote their fifth album V. High five!

The 39th season of SNL was a transitional one, to say the least. This summer four cast members parted ways with the comedy institution, some more amicably than others, and the show found itself facing criticism for lack of diversity, prompting the hiring of talented newcomer Sasheer Zamata. The show also lost Seth Meyers when he left to host Late Night. We spoke with SNL veteran Taran Killam earlier this summer about the challenges facing SNL last season and the actor was more than confident that the show had found its footing again and that the 40th year would be one of the strongest.

Saturday Night Live kicks off its 40th season on Saturday, September 29 on NBC.

]]>http://nerdist.com/chris-pratt-to-host-snl-premiere/feed/4GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY’s Chris Pratt Goes to Baseball Game, Is Adorablehttp://nerdist.com/guardians-of-the-galaxys-chris-pratt-goes-to-baseball-game-is-adorable/
http://nerdist.com/guardians-of-the-galaxys-chris-pratt-goes-to-baseball-game-is-adorable/#commentsThu, 04 Sep 2014 17:45:14 +0000http://www.nerdist.com/?p=180073As if leading the sci-fi hit of the summer and dressing up as Star-Lord to visit a children’s hospital weren’t enough, Chris Pratt, a/k/a the internet’s collective boyfriend, has gone and stolen our hearts again. The Guardians of the Galaxy and Parks and Recreation actor swung by Wrigley Field last night to throw the game’s first pitch, take selfies with fans, and even sing “Take Me Out To The Ballgame”:

While Chris Pratt may have mastered rapping and the elusive french braid, he apparently can’t throw a pitch. (Although, have you ever tried to do a french braid? I mean, I’ve never done it successfully. Who’s to say which is more difficult?) But, as you may have guessed, even his awkward pitch is endearing.

According to Uproxx, Pratt is in town filming the final season of Parks and Recreation, and stopped by to share his love for the Cubs and make everyone’s night. After a hugely successful year with The Lego Movie and Guardians of the Galaxy, Pratt’s star power shows absolutely no sign of losing momentum anytime soon. He’s got Parks and Recreation to close out (and I, for one, hope his newfound celebrity inspires everyone to go back and watch the show on Netflix), and another project coming out next year: you know, a little movie called Jurassic World. His not-so-rapid (cough Everwood) rise to fame is 100% deserved, and we can’t wait to see what else his career (and charming antics) has in store.

]]>http://nerdist.com/guardians-of-the-galaxys-chris-pratt-goes-to-baseball-game-is-adorable/feed/4WB Announces Release Dates for Rumored LEGO MOVIE Sequelshttp://nerdist.com/wb-announces-release-dates-for-rumored-lego-movie-sequels/
http://nerdist.com/wb-announces-release-dates-for-rumored-lego-movie-sequels/#commentsThu, 07 Aug 2014 06:00:12 +0000http://www.nerdist.com/?p=172877It’s been a busy day of announcements for Warner Brothers. They scheduled release dates for ten DC Comics movies all the way through 2020, not to mention two unnamed would-be blockbusters, which many out there believe to be sequels to Harry Potter spin-off Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them. And now we have a few more: according to the Hollywood Reporter, Warner Bros. has set two untitled animated films for May 25, 2018, and May 24, 2019, hoping to own each year’s respective Memorial Day weekend. Insiders are suggesting these movies are going to be even more follow-ups to this year’s super successful The Lego Movie, which grossed $468 million worldwide at the beginning of this year. The Lego Movie 2 already has a May 26, 2017 release date, so these two dates are likely for Lego 3 and maybe even part 4, although it is possible that the Lego Ninjago spin-off could claim the 2018 date.

The Lego Movie was one of the first financially successful animated films to be released from Warners Bros., who have never had a much luck when it comes to their animated movie output (despite producing some genius movies like The Iron Giant). The film, which only cost $60 million to produce, was extremely profitable, so it’s no surprise that they want to make this one of their staple franchises for the rest of the decade. The first movie featured the voices of some talented A-listers, including Chris Pratt, Will Ferrell, Elizabeth Banks, Will Arnett, Liam Neeson and Morgan Freeman. It isn’t known if all of these actors are coming back for sequels, but I imagine we’ll start learning more about both of these sequels very, very soon.

]]>http://nerdist.com/wb-announces-release-dates-for-rumored-lego-movie-sequels/feed/5The Shelf: HOUSE OF CARDS, THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL, THE LEGO MOVIEhttp://nerdist.com/the-shelf-house-of-cards-the-grand-budapest-hotel-the-lego-movie/
http://nerdist.com/the-shelf-house-of-cards-the-grand-budapest-hotel-the-lego-movie/#commentsTue, 17 Jun 2014 19:00:32 +0000http://www.nerdist.com/?p=158473You are entering another dimension. A dimension not just of sight and sound, but of sitting and remote controls. A dimension where every week several pieces of entertainment are released to an unwitting public to consume with their faces and brains for the betterment of their entire heart. That signpost up ahead… ignore it; you shouldn’t be driving anyway in your condition. You are entering The Shelf. Well, not entering, but looking at. Don’t climb onto a shelf, it probably won’t fit you. Unless it’s really huge or made of oak or something. Anyway, it’s The Shelf.

House of Cards Season Two
The Emmy-nominated Netflix series about political intrigue and the machinations of a ruthless Southern Congressman (Kevin Spacey) had a pretty explosive second year, which we won’t discuss here because of spoilers galore, but if you don’t have Netflix, or just want to watch physical media, you can do so with this Blu-ray set. It contains no supplemental content, though, so use your best judgment.

The Grand Budapest Hotel
Wes Anderson keeps reinventing himself without changing his style or tactic at all. Some say that’s a downside, but I think if it ain’t broke don’t fix it. With his previous two films, The Fantastic Mr. Fox and Moonrise Kingdom, he’d delved a bit more than he had into true storybook adventures, and with this film he’s planted himself squarely into a pre-WWII caper/thriller. It’s arguably his best work since The Royal Tenenbaums, I think. To read my full review of the Blu-ray and film, please click right here, dahling.

The LEGO Movie
I can’t think of a funnier, more heartfelt, more innovative movie in the last several years than Chris Miller and Phil Lord’s The LEGO Movie. The animation alone, which is based entirely around stop-motion of actual LEGO bricks (which had to have taken forever), is reason to heap mounds of praise on it, but it’s one of the funniest scripts in a movie in a good long time and also has some really good messages, perfect for young kids who feel like they aren’t very special. Plus, dudes, it has Batman in it being a dick, which is always something funny to me. Because, even though I love him, he’d totally be a dick in real life. Or LEGO life. The “Everything is Awesome” Edition Blu-ray has a commentary by Lord and Miller and several short featurettes about the building of the various LEGO items. It’s a movie I can’t recommend enough. Get it, get it, get it. SPACESHIP! Here’s Witney’s full review of the film as well as all of our other coverage of The LEGO Movie.

I Know That Voice
Voice actor extraordinaire John DiMaggio (Futurama, Adventure Time) co-produced this comprehensive look at all the great voices you know but the faces you might not. Featuring interviews with greats in the field like Billy West, Mark Hamill, Tom Kenny, Jim Cummings, and Kevin Conroy, the documentary gives you an up close and person look at these people that most of us have grown up hearing. It’s a labor of love and it definitely feels like one. Read my interview from last year with DiMaggio about the film and his work.

The Machine
Don’t build the perfect weapon and give her feelings if you don’t want her to raise some hell. This cool cyberpunk take on Pinocchio stars Arrow‘s Caity Lotz as the eponymous weapon and Toby Stephens and Wedge Antilles himself Denis Lawson as the creators trying to keep her under wraps.

Walk of Shame
Comedy starring Elizabeth Banks as a newscaster who has a night on the town and ends up lost and in last night’s evening wear trying to get back to an important work meeting lest she gets fired. Hilarity ensues, probably.

The Angela Mao Ying Collection
Get your next three chopsocky double feature nights planned with this set of six films featuring ’70s martial arts superstar Angela Mao Ying, beginning with the below film, 1973’s When Taekwondo Strikes. En-friggin’-joy.

]]>http://nerdist.com/the-shelf-house-of-cards-the-grand-budapest-hotel-the-lego-movie/feed/1A Special Gift by Way of THE LEGO MOVIEhttp://nerdist.com/a-special-gift-by-way-of-the-lego-movie/
http://nerdist.com/a-special-gift-by-way-of-the-lego-movie/#commentsTue, 17 Jun 2014 18:35:17 +0000http://www.nerdist.com/?p=159041There was a special little box sitting next to LEGO Hardwick today – a LEGO box to be more specific. Perhaps this was to commemorate today’s Blu-ray, DVD and digital release of The LEGO Movie. Perhaps I had no business opening up said LEGO box since my name was definitely not on it. Well, this is how the situation played out:

Look, who wouldn’t open a shiny new LEGO box sitting right in front of them? Now on to my next challenge: staying productive with a box of fresh LEGOs sitting on my desk. Special thanks to Warner Bros. for the nice gift, and don’t miss out on grabbing The LEGO Movie on Blu-ray, DVD or via digital download today.